Amateur-built VP-1 accident near West Jordan, Utah, December 8, 2000
On December 8, 2000 at about 7:45 pm local time, a amateur-built VP-1, registered N89KD, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Jordan, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing. Contributing factors were the total loss of engine power due to the failure of the pilot to adjust the manual propeller pitch to permit the engine to achieve sufficient rpm for sustained flight, and the subsequent fouling of the spark plugs due to the over rich fuel condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2000 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- West Jordan, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VP-1
- Registration
- N89KD · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he was flight-testing the newly finished homebuilt airplane. The original plans called for a fixed pitch propeller. The pilot said that he had put a manually adjustable pitch propeller on the airplane, and he had adjusted it for cruise flight. He said that once he was airborne, the engine began "lugging" and quickly lost power. He started a right turn to crosswind, and simultaneously began to perform a forced landing. Subsequently, the airplane struck a building and some transmission wires before coming to rest. Postaccident examination of the engine by an FAA inspector revealed that the spark plugs were wet with fuel. The inspector also found heavy carbon deposits in the exhaust stack.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 486 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 828 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 1600 CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U42 at 7:43 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 86°F (30°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from SLC, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N89KD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN01LA020.